Burton Skeleton Key 2018 - 2017
Review by The Good Ride

kThe Burrton Skeleton Key is a board I’ve wanted to try since it came out but didn’t get to. But then Dan, a guy I met on the chair, let me try it so thanks Dan! It was pretty much everything I was hoping it would be and it unseated the Branch Manager as a favorite. After riding this I went out and straight up bought one. Then I got to try the 2018 thanks to Gravity Sports at Mt Bachelor. It really is a great way to surf powder and groomers. The 2018 and 2017 Burton Skeleton Key seem to be the same except for the price difference.

Liked the Genesis X and Atlas bindings best with this board. Liked the Tactical ADV and think the Imperials, SLX’s or Ions would be a great combo too. My Almighty’s were a touch soft.

Set Up: about 12 front -12 back and about 22″ wide

Approximate Weight: Felt normal bordering on light.

Sizing: The 154 felt like magic when it came to quick nimble turns in the trees compared to the 158 and I think I might prefer the 154. However I liked the drive and more powerful feel when opening up on groomers. Its core is a little on the thin side and at the time I write this I’m 180lbs after a long steamy piss right when I wake up so per Burton I’m right at the 2018 limit of the weight recommendation. That being said I’m usually heavier than the weight recommendations and with the way I ride I’ve never damaged a board due to bad food choices. I’m kind of in between the 154 and 158. If there was a 156 I think it would be perfect for my boot size (most important, weight and height). Still both are fun and it comes down to how you want to ride. Short and quick the 154. A little more drawn out and opened up on the groomers 158.

Flex: Nice flex that feels pretty firm between the feet but it was pretty easy to butter the tail. The 158 feels a touch stiffer but that can vary from board to board. Maybe there was a little bump to the flex to handle a higher weight recommendation but I’m not sure.

On Snow Feel: The Burton Skeleton Key got that same great stable feel that so many of the Family Tree tapered directional boards have. The more I ride it the more I feel it’s a more playful, directional, quicker turning and surfy version of the Flight Attendant. I wouldn’t of thought that it had 10 mm of taper. It’s not wash proof but a lot less washy than you would think for a tapered board. It’s a very off the tail kind of surfy ride that’s got a super quick lively feel underfoot. It’s just pure powder surfing fun.

Edge Hold: It’s fine for anything but hard to icy snow. In comparing this to a lot of our other Snow Surf and Freeride favorites it’s a little behind when it comes to grip. When the snow is hard you really have to dial back your turning and the edges let go easier than most in this class. It’s an improvement over Burton’s Flat Top and Flying V camber but in our opinion, it needs a little more if you want to ride in the harder snow.

Turn Initiation: So quick and snappy edge to edge. It’s like the Branch Manager and a real tree cheetah. It’s super quick in tight situations and I could react so quickly that it made me feel like I was a better tree rider. The board just went where you wanted it to go with minimal effort. With other boards I could do the same line but often there is an awkward moment getting the board where you want it and I loose my poise but with the Skeleton Key I felt like it was setting me up to be cooler than I am at every turn.

Turning Experience: The overall turning experience from rolling it over from edge to edge quickly in the trees to making big sweeping carving turns is really fun. The Freeride Geometry sidecut is pretty interesting because on groomers it feels more like a double ender like the Flight Attendant does but in powder it feels pretty surfy like it should. It’s a fun board to turn and even though it’s super quick edge to edge it’s not a super tight turner when the side cut is completely engaged. Still you can make fun circle carves and enjoy your self every time you put your weight into a turn. It’s a great daily driver for those that only want directional surfy turns and mainly ride only when the snow is medium or softer.

Skidded Turns: Not ideal but not as bad as camber. You really want to know the mechanics of turning otherwise you could catch an edge on the tail if you get off your game. Still its pretty forgiving for having this much camber going on.

Carving: Nice springy surfy carve with the Burton Skeleton Key. I could really lay it out as long as I put a little more weight on the back foot.

Speed: It could handle some decent speed but it’s not quite a bomber. I rode the Burton Flight Attendant after and I could feel that offer up a much more damp ride.

Uneven Terrain: Just about perfect and I could hammer turns in moguls all day. The only minor complaint is it’s a little bucky if you try to power over bumps instead of around them.

Powder: This is what the Burton Skeleton Key excels in. We have had up to a few feet of pretty decent Sierra and Cascade snow with the 154 and it floats effortlessly with a foot or 2 to spare. It’s the board I want to take out when it’s a powder day but not bottomless and just jam through the trees. We liked the 154 Burton Skeleton Key better than the 155 Branch Manager across the board on a head to head test….except for riding switch. It has almost 10″ of setback on board with a 22.75 inch/58cm stance width which is really insane how far back it is for a 154. That’s more than the Branch Manager, Landlord and Flight Attendant. Also, the nose and waist is pretty wide for this size so that helps too. So does the rocker in the nose. It turns small and floats big. That get’s my pants tight and makes for a fun but sometimes awkward ride if I don’t tuck correctly.

Switch: nah…

Jibbing: maybe but nahhgonnadoit!

Pipe: Maybe to slash the walls on a softer day.

Jumps: Really good spring off the tail and it boosted me higher than I thought each time I hit a little natural feature. Really great for a directional air and much more pop than you would expect for such a thin board.

Disclaimer: this is my first powder board, so I'm comparing to not-powder boards (I can't believe I didn't get on this bandwagon 20 yrs ago)

I have the 154. Good god is this board fun! Effortless float, quick turns in the trees, stable opening up in the steeps, carves a hard edge on groomers, and is still fairly snappy for a powder board. It's butter-able if you're trying to get silly, though a bit catchy for tweaked-out presses (this is really the wrong board for that kinda thing). It's a little slow edge-to-edge on groomers, but nothing bad — just not as quick/effortless as the Parkitect I usually ride. In powder and chop, it's perfect. I have never yelled with joy so much!

Note: I pushed the recommended weight range considerably, and still get tons of float — I've gone from a dead back leg after half a day in the deep stuff to riding open to close and still having energy left, and that's with close to reference stance! Pushing the weight range also probably makes flexing the board easier, which I prefer anyway.

I bought the 158.I have used this board 10+ days in pretty much all condition besides big spring crystals and slush.The SK is awesome!!! It carves really well on groomers and even icy conditions and excels in the pow and trees. Even has a bit of surfy / slashy feel to it to get that end of day snow on the side of the runs. It is a mid wide making perfect for my size 10 boots (I don’t catch my toes compared to my others boards: custom twin FV, mod fish, T6) but affects slightly the edge to edge transition speed. Well worth that compromise. Compared to the Landlord 163, the SK has significantly more torsional flex, making it more \"surfy\" and better for tree riding.In the used up pow, the SK seems to just plow through it. Really stable board.Snap on the tail is good for its size. This board is for powder/trees and directional fun on the piste hitting rollers and the occasional jump.If you can find one, get it! Or wait till next year when it will be in the regular line-up.

product0.3

5.05.022Disclaimer: this is my first powder board, so I'm comparing to not-powder boards (I can't believe I didn't get on this bandwagon 20 yrs ago)I have the 154. Good god is this boaBurton Skeleton Key 2017-2018 Snowboard Review